Player Sues Aria After Claiming $75K Markers Issued While Incapacitated
A long‑time high‑stakes player is suing after he says a Las Vegas Strip casino let him incur $75,000 in credit while incapacitated.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Michael Thomson, 64, of Puerto Rico filed a federal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada last week against Aria hotel‑casino and its parent, MGM Resorts International, alleging negligence, unfair trade practices and malicious prosecution. Thomson claims he was drugged on the night of Jan. 23, 2024, or in the early hours of Jan. 24 and that Aria staff allowed him to gamble and execute casino credit instruments – called markers – while he was visibly incapacitated.
According to the seven‑count lawsuit, Thomson’s last memory from the night in question was leaving Aria’s high‑limit blackjack area around midnight with a few thousand dollars in chips and planning to return to his room. His next recollection, the filing says, was waking up handcuffed to a wall in Aria’s security holding room the following morning.
The complaint says casino employees found Thomson asleep in the Sky Suites lounge and that, when awakened, he allegedly lashed out, prompting security to detain him at about 11 a.m. on Jan. 24. Thomson says he was trespassed from the property and was not told he had outstanding markers. He identifies himself in the suit as a longtime Aria patron with a pristine record of repaying markers and recalls taking only a single $10,000 marker that night, which he says he settled at the table before leaving.
Days later, Thomson says his Aria host informed him that the casino was showing eight outstanding markers totaling $75,000 and that the casino had flagged a discrepancy between the amounts he purportedly borrowed and the recorded wins and losses. Thomson alleges he repeatedly sought explanations and documentation from Aria but received none. Months later the casino submitted the markers to his bank; Thomson instructed the bank not to honor them and the bank returned the instruments, five marked “Not Authorized” and three marked “NSF”.
Aria then referred the matter to the Clark County District Attorney’s Bad Check Unit. In November 2024 Thomson was charged with drawing and passing a check with intent to defraud and theft between $25,000 and $100,000. He was arrested, later agreed to pay restitution to resolve criminal proceedings, and the criminal case was dismissed in October, court records show. Thomson’s civil suit seeks a declaratory judgment invalidating the markers, damages exceeding $75,000 and a jury trial.
Related: DraftKings Sued After New Jersey Gambler Loses Almost $1 Million
Regulatory and Legal Considerations
The suit contends Aria breached both common‑law duties and Nevada gaming regulations that prohibit allowing visibly impaired patrons to gamble. If proven, those allegations could expose the casino to civil damages and regulatory scrutiny from the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the state’s Attorney General.
A Las Vegas gaming attorney who asked not to be named said: "Casinos are not only commercial enterprises; they operate under a tightly regulated framework. If a patron is visibly impaired, whether through intoxication or suspected drugging, employees are expected to intervene, obtain medical assistance and suspend gaming privileges. Failing to do so can create both regulatory liability and civil exposure for the casino."
A separate criminal defense perspective noted that marker disputes frequently morph into criminal referrals. "From a prosecutorial standpoint, returned or unauthorized markers often trigger bad‑check investigations, but that process does not resolve the underlying question of capacity or consent. A civil court is where those factual disputes are typically decided", said a defense lawyer who reviewed similar cases.
Related: Wynn Resorts Sued After Fraudster Gambles Millions in Embezzled Funds
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Consequences for Players and Operators
The Thomson case highlights tensions between casino credit practices and player protections. Markers remain a favored convenience for high‑rollers, but they also carry legal risk when signatures or authorization are contested. For operators, the case underscores the reputational and regulatory stakes of how staff handle impaired patrons and credit extensions.
Aria and MGM had not filed a response to the federal complaint as of the filing. The lawsuit will likely prompt close scrutiny of internal security logs, video surveillance and employee witness statements if the case proceeds to discovery. Thomson’s claim that he was ‘‘deliberately, surreptitiously drugged’’ raises the prospect of forensic testing and investigative follow‑up by both civil and criminal counsel.
As the litigation unfolds, it may prompt renewed attention from Nevada regulators over how casinos police impairment on the gaming floor and manage high‑value credit transactions.
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